Automobile.



P. DREW.

AUTOMOBILE. APPLIOATION FILED DEG. 9, 1912.

.Patented May 27,1913.

@mw/$56.5: W@

FRED DREW, 0F BOSVTQN, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMOBILE.

Speoloation ot' Letters latent.

Patented May 27, 1913.

Application-filed December 9.1818. SavialNMN- y To a whom t may conce'm'Be it known that I, FRED DREW a citizen of the United States, residingat the county of Suffolk and State 0f Massiv chusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automobiles; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion of theinvention, such as will enable ot ers skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

The object of the present invention is to provide means whereby aportion of the space `in the body of an automobile ordi# -narilyoccupied by the passengers may be converted into a storagereceptacle toreceive temporaril and safely retain robes, suit-cases, or ottierarticles when the machine is left unguarded.`

With this object in view, the present invention contemplates theprovision in an automobile of a cover so constructed that-it can befolded or rolled up, or otherwise collapsed so as to occupy a smallspace in the automobile, and so arranged that when extended it willinclose a portion of the passenger space so as to form a storagereceptacle. A

The invention contemplates the provision of any suitable .form ofcollapsible cover arf ranged to incluse any desired ortion of the spacein an automobile body which is or may be occupied by the passengerswhile the car in Ause. The invention, however, is particularlyapplicable to automobiles provided with front and rear seats and withside doors, since in this type of automobile the space betweenthe frontand rear seats provlde's for a storage Areceptacle of large capacity,while the collapsible cover can be stowed away when not in use close tothe back of the front seat where it will not take up an objectionablepart of the passenger Also in this t pe of automobile the space. y coverwhen extende can be readily arranged to revent the opening of the sidedoors, suita le securing means for the doors being provided which extendinto the space' inclosed by the cover whenextended so that thesesecuring means are rendered inaccesible by the cover. A

The present invention will be readily understood from an inspection ofthe accompanying drawing in which; Figure 1 is a view in side elevationpartly in section, of an automobile with the' preferred form of theoston, in l vort-'ion of the passenger space between the ront and rearseats to be converted into a storage receptacle a collapsible cover isrovlded consistlng of two leaves `5 and) 6.

These leaves are hinfred together at 7 vand the leaf 5 is hinged to therear of the'front seat at 8. When the cover is extended as illustratedin full lines in the drawing, the leaf 6 rests upon the front portion ofthe rear seat 2 and the cover extends horizontally across the spacebetween the front and -rear A seats.- When the cover is' collapsed itassumes the position indicated ip dot-ted lines in Fig. 1, in whichposition 1t takes up a comparatlvel small amount of the passengerspace.' n the construction illustrated the hinges 7 are arranged on thelower side of the cover when extended so that the adjacent edges of theleaves 5 and 6 abut and no additional means are required to support thecover in horizontal osition. To receive the free edge of the lea 6 thefront portion of the rear seat is preferably-recessed at 9 and in orderto secure the cover in extended `position the leaf 6`is rovided with anysuitable form of lock indicated at 10. The leaves 5 and 6 extendcompletely across the body of the automobile between the side doors 4and 6 completely inclosing the space beneath thencover. y

To revent access to the?y storage space throng the doors4, suitablesecuring means for the doors are' rovided, accessible only from theinterior o the automobile body and these'securing means are so locatedthat ,they are inaccessible when 'the coveris in extendedposition. Asillustrated in the drawing, the securing means' are those ordinarily emyplo 'ed and consist of suitable latches operated' by interior handles11. These handles are so located that they are below the cover when thcover is extended. The cover thus not Yonly serves as a means forinclosing the s ace between the jfront and rear seats of the automobile,but. also acts indirectly as a means for locking the doors in closedposi'- tion.

The nature and scope ofthe presentin- Vvention having been lndia-ted anda preV specified as described, what is claimed is l. The combinationWith the body of an Aautomobile having a passenger space provided withside doors, of a collapsible cover arranged when extended to inclose aportion ot' the passenger space to form a storage receptacle, ineenswhereby the collapsible cover may be locked in operative position, andsecuring means for the doors inaccessible when the cover is extended.

2; The combination with the body of an automobile having front and rearseats and `may be locked in operative position, and Securing means forthe doors inaccessible when 20 the cover is extended.

FRED DREW.

Witnesses:

FRED O. FISH, BURTON W. CARY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

